


Treading Fears

by SuncatcherSol



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Other, Reader-Insert, Sea Monsters, Self-Insert, freediving, x Reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:09:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25593307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuncatcherSol/pseuds/SuncatcherSol
Summary: You empty your lungs and breathe in so much ocean air you think you will explode. And then, head over heels, you plunge into the depths. You see the glint of sunlight on Levi’s tail. He’s there. And you give chase.-You want to free dive, but holding your breath makes you panic. You’re not sure if it’s the breath hold or if it’s the prospect of the water. Levi offers to help you with the water part. You get a bit more than you bargained for.-This was fun to write, and if I’m honest, not something I expected to publish. But ig my narcissism got the better of me LOL. Inspired by a twitter thread byDesdithat just reminded me of when I was learning to free dive and made me wonder what it would have been like to have had a kinder teacher.
Relationships: Leviathan (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!) & Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 62





	Treading Fears

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Twitter thread: Levi is, well, a Leviathan](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/658303) by Desdimonda. 



“You ready?” Leviathan’s hand finds yours, weaving his fingers between your own. He’s confident, here; this is his territory. You bring his hand to your lips, plant a fleeting kiss.

“Ready as ever, gorgeous.”

You let him lead you into the waves.

The first thing you notice is how at home he seems in the water, more comfortable than he is on dry land. You aren’t surprised, but it was something else to see in person. And a welcome distraction from the unease in the pit of your stomach. You paddle behind him, relishing the way your fins push against the water. You travel more effortlessly than you’re used to, with the three kilograms of your weight belt; the water seems to carry you. Today, the ocean is your lover’s arms.

Leviathan turns to check on you every few strokes, the muted sunlight glowing in eyes the colour of the sunset on a clear day. You flash a smile through your mask.

He stops, and the water eddies around the both of you. “Here.”

You let your legs sink under you. you don’t need a float here, not with him. The sea waits with you, this time. You start your breathe up, the water holding you, no need for a floatation device. He watches, head tilted. Everything feels so still, this time. All you can hear is the beat of your heart, pounding in your ears, the jolt in your blood that accompanies the prospect of a held breath. Leviathan catches your vacant stare and holds it. you got this. you smile weakly and take the penultimate breath of your preparation.

“You okay there?” He’s so steady here, so much calmer.

You nod, with more assurance this time.

“Alright, then. I’ll go down with you. Take your time. I know you said you want as little help as possible, but I’m here. It’ll be okay. Take that final breath good and slow.”

You empty your lungs and breathe in so much ocean air you think you will explode. And then, head over heels, you plunge into the depths. You see the glint of sunlight on Levi’s tail. He’s there. And you give chase.

He is never more than two strokes ahead of you. He lets you navigate the water, as you requested, but stays close. You are moving, and the space in your head is quiet without the rattle of your breath. It’s been thirty seconds, probably. You’re still comfortable. You allow yourself a grin as you chase the bright blue of Levi’s scales. He turns, coming to swim beside you, and you stop.

You look up, away from him for the first time. The reef extends above and around you both. For a moment, you forget the tension in the back of your throat, the fear in your chest cavity. It’s wondrous.

“I thought you’d like it.” Levi’s voice echoes in your head. You blink at him, surprised, and he laughs. “Wanna go closer?”

You nod, smiling, all fear forgot.

You glide together over the bright corals, for a few heartbeats. The fish are surprisingly agreeable, under Leviathan’s sway. It is as if they don’t see you at all. You watch, wide-eyed, as they swim around you, brushing up against you harmlessly as if you are just so much coral. Levi smiles at your excitement from beside you. You reach out to take his hand, to glide around him, when you realise your lungs are burning, and you are _terrified_.

He looks up at your touch into your wide, panicked eyes. You struggle, your hand now a vicegrip on his wrist. He is before you in a flash, eyes boring into yours. “Hey. Try to relax. We’ll get you out in a bit.”

You don’t hear him, your eyes vacant. He makes to pull you to the surface, but watches the air in your lungs escapes in a veil of bubbles. Your body tenses, eyes screwed shut, you struggle to keep from reflexively inhaling water -

\- and suddenly, the touch of lips on yours, and the pressure ebbs. You open your eyes as your body completes the breath it begun. You feel the water rush into your mouth and out your… gills? You give your hands a quick once-over and, satisfied to see you are still very much human, you stare at him in open-mouthed confusion.

Levi looks abashed. “I-I-I-I-I, uh, I made you able to breathe underwater for a while.”

Your laughter dissolves in a cloud of bubbles. His expression is apologetic. “Should i have…. not? I know you wanted as little help as possible, but I couldn’t stand seeing you so scared and I-”

You take his chin in your hand and kiss him firmly, fastening your arms around his torso. You look up, your heart swelling at the blush of tender blue that graces his cheeks. You press his hand. _Thank you._ He smiles shyly, and you stare agape at the light glistening on his face.

He holds your gaze, his eyes beckoning. _Watch._

Before you, slowly, his demon form ripples and changes. You watch as his body lengthens, changes, twisting, watch as limbs grow and fuse, watch the spines and fins rising from his back, watch as the irises that behold you are now no longer two, but four, still the same violent colour of a sky at sundown. You watch them, watch you imperiously. The Grand Admiral of Hell’s Navy. You’re transfixed. Of all the creatures of the deep, the ocean you so loved and so feared, this was the most beautiful, the most terrible. Leviathan watches you, wordless, and you feel the entirety of the ocean around you holding its breath.

Somewhere, at the back of your mind, you remember that the word for fear and the word for awe in another language somewhere were one and the same, or something along those lines. You are entranced. “Good lord,” you breathe, forgetting yourself, forgetting where you are, that the water swallows every sound, your words disappearing into streams of bubbles. “You’re beautiful.”

This must be what it feels like to behold a god, awe and fear and terror and love. You do not flinch, despite the cocktail of emotions sparking in your veins. You hold Levi’s gaze, watch as eyes older than time itself, blink slowly at you. You’re not sure if you should reach out, break the precariousness of the moment.

And then it is over, and the demon is there again, still watching, still waiting. Breath after inexistent breath, you grasp for something steadying, but simply stare, agape. Heartbeat after heartbeat. And as the fluttering in your veins quiets, you reach out steadily, to beckon him wordlessly to the surface.


End file.
